


Class of ‘02

by lorenaag



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Bickering, Closeted Character, Community: ninoexchange, Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Matsumiya - Freeform, Matsumoto Jun in Domiyouji Era, Romance, School Reunion, but it's in the past, but not heavy tho, mentions of bullying, suezu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-21 04:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19995526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorenaag/pseuds/lorenaag
Summary: “I hate this.” Nino considered this party a complete waste of time and money. Five years wasn’t that long to have a considerate change in people’s lives.  Written for the Ninoexchange 2019 party. Warnings: Subtle mentions about bullying and closeted characters in the past.





	Class of ‘02

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mikunicchi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikunicchi/gifts).



> This fic was written for [mikunicchi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikunicchi) in the NinoExchange. It can be read as a prequel for my previous MatsuMiya fic, "Childminder Boyfriend", but can also be read separetly. Her plot ideas fit too well with the fic I already written, so it was almost impossible not to write a prequel xD 
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this, it was challenging but sooo fun to participate in the Exchange! 
> 
> English is not my first language, and I'm not experienced in writing fics, so forgive any mistakes or anything else!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this fic! :)

CLASS OF '02

“I hate this.” 

Nino said as soon as his friend Masaki stopped his car across the street from the hotel’s entrance. He took off his seatbelt and sighed. 

“Come on, Nino, don’t be such a bore.” Masaki patted Nino’s knee before pushing his leg, motioning to him to get out of the car. Nino grunted, opened the door, and closed it with more strength that it was needed. “You’re going to meet some old friends! It’s going to be fun!” Masaki said from inside the car, lowering the window. Nino was already on the other side of the vehicle, eyeing the hotel’s entrance with clear displeasure. 

“I didn’t have friends back in high school, Masaki. I don’t know what I’m doing here… Why should we have a five-year reunion anyway?!” 

Ninomiya Kazunari was a 24-year-old photographer who has just come out of university. As he was single, he lived by himself in a small apartment near his job, where he only came out of it to go to work, to visit his parents and sister when he couldn’t take their complaints anymore, and to go to his favorite bar to have some drinks with his coworkers or even alone. On some of those solo nights, he even allowed himself to be taken to a love hotel nearby – he doesn’t take anyone home anymore, not since his sister caught him in a heavy make-out session on his sofa one night when she decided to show up in his house for a late dinner without announcing previously. He never thought about having a serious relationship, not until he felt that he was really in love with the other person. 

In Nino’s mind, there was nothing extraordinary about his life that could be shared in this high school reunion. He considered this party a complete waste of time and money, as five years wasn’t that long to have a considerate change in people’s lives. Although, he was sure that his schoolmates must all have a more exciting life than his. Most of them must also have graduated from university, some of them must have been married already, and he was sure that at least one girl must be pregnant. 

Well, Nino had a diploma in Journalism, but he fell in love with photography during his studies. He had just started working at an advertisement company six months ago and the only commotion he had on the job was an occasional encounter with companies’ rich owners, working with random beautiful unknown models and the all-so-common fake burgers photoshoots. It wasn’t a well-paying job, but he truly enjoyed what he was doing. Also, Nino wasn’t married and definitely not a father. 

Being closeted throughout his whole school years, he wasn’t very willing to share and talk about his love life. He even considered bringing Aiba as his date, but it would be too bothersome to explain that they were just friends, and Nino didn’t want attention. Back in high school, Nino was just a shy boy that only shone when he was playing baseball, but even though he was the team’s pitcher, his shyness overcame the popularity that came with the position, making Nino more of a loner. 

The only reason why Nino came to this party was to his best friend, Aiba Masaki. The older guy offered to buy him a suit and also a ride, since Aiba was sure that Nino would bail out at the last moment. Masaki was worried that Nino wasn’t having any social interactions these days, and, in his opinion, having sex with strangers you meet at the bar is not enough. Nino needed conversations. More friends. Different environments.

Masaki worked as a style assistant in a fashion magazine. They met during university when Masaki worked part-time at Nino’s favorite cafeteria near his campus, and, surprisingly, Masaki’s funny and extroverted personality worked really well with Nino’s shy and introverted one. As a barista, Masaki always prepared Nino’s orders at the cafe with extra care, even going overboard sometimes, since Nino was always complaining that his latte was too sweet and Aiba needed to have his taste buds examined. “You need more sweetness in your life, Nino-chan,” the taller man always said. Nino never managed to get upset at Aiba. 

Until now. 

“Aiba, look. Can’t we just go somewhere to eat a hamburger and just forget about this whole thing?” 

“Nino…” 

“I can’t do this!” Nino was really reluctant to enter the building. He was staring at his friend with big eyes, trying to reason to the other guy until the last moment. Due to Masaki’s persuasion, he tried the suit, shaved and even styled his usually messy hair, only to please the other man. However, he didn’t intend to go to the party. His plan was to fool Masaki, saying he missed the train and decided to go back home because it was too late already, but when Masaki said he was going to take Nino to the hotel in his car, Nino found himself with no other option than to follow. 

“Of course you can do this, Nino! You’re not a kid anymore, you’re a fine adult who has just the confidence to walk into that hotel and show those people that you’re not the boy they used to make fun of! You’re an incredible guy, and they need to see it!” 

“I’m not incredible, I’m just...” 

“Yes, you are. Trust me. Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” 

Nino looked into his best friend’s eyes. Masaki had been his main source of confidence ever since they started their friendship, and Nino was forever grateful to him for it. Thanks to Masaki, Nino was able to come out of the shell he had nurtured ever since he was a child, and thanks to Masaki, he was also able to meet new people and new places. He knew that his friend only wanted good things for him, and maybe, he was right. It could be nice to see all those people that annoyed the hell out of him throughout his school days and show them that he survived. 

“You can call if you need anything. I know you said you don’t need a ride back, but I can take you home if you want.” Aiba’s voice was soft, as he understood why Nino was hesitating. His younger friend was a pretty shy person, and Aiba helping him to overcome his shyness was a step-by-step process. He knew he shouldn’t push his friend into do something that he didn’t want, but he felt that it was important for Nino’s self-esteem to face his high school colleagues and feel like he had moved past all of that. He was here, a functioning adult, and he needed to show those people that he wouldn’t take their bullshit anymore. 

“Thanks.” Nino answered with a quiet voice. 

“They can’t hurt you anymore.” Masaki said with a smile. “Now go, I’ll wait for you to enter.” His smile grew bigger. Nino rolled his eyes.

“Thanks for the ride, mom.” Nino’s sarcasm was evident. His hand went over his jacket and pants in order to fix any wrinkles. 

“You’re welcome, my child. Now go, mom loves you.” Masaki said, shooing him away. 

\-----

Nino passed through the hotel lobby and received a name tag, though he didn’t see the point of it. He doubted that someone would mistake him for someone else, since he basically looked almost the same as five years ago. He entered the hall decorated with lamps, flower stands, and some corny balloons. On the wall, a sign declaring CLASS OF ‘02 was hanging from the ceiling. Tables filled the place, but there’s were no chairs in sight, only a couple of couches, already occupied by people. Some waiters walked around the place with champagne and he could even spot one carrying a very flashy jar of orange juice. A big table was in the center of the hall, filled with food. Nino walked slowly toward it, looking to see if anything that was on there was edible and compatible with his taste. 

He found some toast with a sort of paste on top that tasted really good. Grabbing another drink, Nino stood by the table, watching the mass of people in the hall, noticing smiles and even some laughter. Nino saw Yoshitaka Yuriko, the weirdest girl in his class, in his opinion. She used to talk a lot with Nino, even when he wasn’t actually answering or even paying attention to her. 

One day, she randomly asked him to draw a giraffe in the middle of math class. 

Talking to Yuriko was a man that Nino didn’t recognize at first look. He was wearing a black, well-fitting suit, with a gorgeous navy bow tie. His shoes was so shiny that they could blind someone, and his hair was longer than Nino’s, styled in a perfect perm, with not even one strand of hair out of place. 

He was beautiful. Nino couldn’t remember who he was and his goddamn name tag was too far to read properly. Was he from another class? They invited all three third-year classrooms, so it could be someone from a different one.

As if sensing Nino’s stare, the other man looked straight into Nino’s eyes. Feeling embarrassed, he turned towards the table, motioning to grab another toast. 

“Ninomiya?” a male voice called. Nino turned, only to meet the man he had been staring at right in front of his eyes. _Crap_ , he thought. His eyes wandered around the man’s face. He had a beauty mark on his lip and Nino thought it was one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. “You haven’t changed a bit.” The man let out a small laugh. 

Nino’s eyes went to the man’s name tag. _Matsumoto Jun_ was written there, causing confusion in Nino’s mind. 

_What? Matsumoto Jun? That Matsumoto Jun?_

It couldn’t be true. The Matsumoto Jun he knew was a scrawny little boy, even smaller than Nino, that was always picked on his appearance, and was even called _insect_ by some of the kids in his class. He was nothing like the fine man that was standing right in front of Nino’s eyes. 

“What? Are you really Matsumoto Jun?” Nino was incredulous. 

Jun laughed. 

“You’re the third person to ask me this question tonight.” He had a smug look on his face. Jun had a confidence that the boy who graduated with Nino five years ago didn’t have. 

“Maybe because you look like another person? What happened?” Nino asked, widening his eyes. 

Jun laughed out loud. “Puberty, I guess.” 

Nino laughed, _what a stupid answer._

“Yeah, now you’re no longer an insect, you’re a full grown butterfly.” Nino added, with a hand movement. Jun rolled his eyes, sighing. 

“I fucking hated that nickname. It didn’t make any sense.”

“Oh, it did. You were this tiny slim boy with a huge head and huge eyes. A totally insect.”

“Yeah? What about you, then? You were smaller than me. Well, you still are, and also slim. I still don’t know how you were the team’s pitcher.” Jun retorted, with a smile on his face. 

“Correction, I was the _best_ pitcher.” Nino answered. “You should know that, since you were the catcher for a while.” 

“Yeah, I had a close look at your bad pitching. Ah... those times were great…” Jun said, throwing his head back. Nino had a full view of the man’s neck and Adam’s apple. All of the sudden, the photographer’s mouth went dry, and he took a big gulp of his drink. “I really miss playing baseball.” 

“Why, you don’t do it anymore?” 

“Not really since I’ve graduated from university. I studied business, and just started working in the management department of a sales company. Long hours, you know.” 

“Yeah… That’s unexpected.” _You look like a model._

Jun had a curious look on his face. Frowning a bit, he put his hands on his pockets, and asked “May I ask you why?” 

“You didn’t look like a person that would go to finance… You seemed to be more… sporty?” 

“Well, sometimes you just have to leave something you really enjoy doing as just a hobby. I still play futsal with my friends sometimes.” 

“I see…”

“What about you? What do you do? Your appearance hasn’t changed a bit, so maybe you’re some baseball team’s main bad pitcher?!” Jun smiled again. _Can he just stop doing that?!_

“No, unfortunately, no. I’m a photographer. I work in an advertisement company.” 

“Oh, really? That’s interesting.” 

“Not really, I just photograph burgers all the time. And some boring models.” 

Jun laughed, and motioned for a waiter, asking for a drink. 

“Only you could describe models as boring.” 

“But they are. They just come and do exactly what they’re asked. There’s no challenge.”

“And taking pictures of burgers are challenging?” 

“Have you ever tried to make a burger look really appetizing? It’s the hardest thing ever.” Jun laughed out loud. Nino decided that he liked the sound. “With models, you just spray their hair and that’s it.” 

“I never thought I would say this, but you’re funny, Nino.” Jun said, wiping his laughing tears. He now had a glass of champagne in his hand, just to add to his princely look. “You didn’t have this vibe back in school.” 

“And what kind of vibe did I give?” 

“I don’t know. Smart. Shy. Lonely.” Jun looked deeply into Nino’s eyes. “The only moment you really shone was when you were on the field, playing.” 

Nino went silent. One of the reasons why he didn’t want to come to this event was because of this possible confrontation regarding his personality by his classmates. Yes, he definitely was shy and didn’t like to stand out. Now, as an adult, he can see that the adolescence period had been a great factor. He hadn’t known exactly who he was, but the confusion he felt regarding his sexuality was the main reason why he had been like that. As soon as he understood, and came out of the damn closet, he felt like he became a better, bolder person. Masaki’s friendship also helped. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Jun looked a little concerned with Nino’s silence. 

“It’s okay, insect, you didn’t offend me.” Nino sighed. “Let’s just say that those five years away from that place helped me find myself, you know.” He didn’t want to sound dramatic or romantic, but it was the actual truth. “Becoming an adult and entering university helped.” 

“Yeah, I agree, bad pitcher. Uni was good.” Jun took another sip of his drink, his eyes still locked with Nino’s. 

“What kind of _adventures_ did you have, Matsumoto?” Nino’s teasing tone was back and he had a small smile on his face. 

“What, you really want to know?” Jun answered in the same tone. “Are you sure?” 

“It’s okay, I can handle it. I’m a big boy after all.” Nino drank a bit of his champagne while looking at Jun, just like he did before. The taller man laughed out loud and didn’t reply, just kept looking at Nino. 

“Maybe we should…” Jun stopped laughing and said it, hesitating. It was actually the first time that evening that Nino saw hesitance in the other’s eyes. “Maybe we should go for a few drinks sometimes, you know. To remember the old times.” 

“We weren’t exactly friends.” 

“I know that, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be.” Jun finished his drink and put the glass on the table. He unbuttoned his jacket, before putting his hands back in his pockets. Nino realized that the man took a step closer to him. They definitely weren’t this close before. “We’re not the same as we were back then, and, to be honest, you are the first person that I enjoyed talking to tonight. All of them were trying to amaze me with their accomplishments, but I really don’t care.” 

Nino didn’t understand. Was Jun trying to flirt with him? Was he being serious? A friendship? 

He never even considered becoming friends with his old classmates; to him, the past was the past, and the fact that no one cared when he came into the hall or even acknowledged him until Jun did, just proved to him that nothing had changed. He was still in the shadows when it came to his high school days. 

But Jun just said that he wanted to spend more time with him. He didn’t know if the other was gay and Jun didn’t know about him either, so it couldn’t be a date, right? 

So why was Nino feeling so confused about Jun’s proposal? 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I just wanted to get out of here.” Nino widened his eyes. So Jun also didn’t want to come? “What’s a party without beer, honestly? We could go to a bar close to this hotel, if you want.” Jun tried again. “We can talk about our university adventures.” He said it with a smile, and Nino couldn’t resist anymore. It wouldn’t hurt to have a drink with Jun and he really wanted to exit the place. 

“Sure, let’s go.” He finished his drink and put his glass next to Jun’s. “Let’s have some beer.” 

\---- 

_3 months later_

“Come on, Nino… It was a good movie.” Jun tried to reason with his friend. It was a Saturday night, and instead of going out, they decided to rent a movie and crash on Nino’s couch with popcorn and some beer. 

“No, it wasn’t. The man was freaking baking pies with human flesh. And he sang while doing it.” Nino took a big gulp of his beer and pulled his legs closer to his body. The ending credits of the movie were rolling, so he took the remote control to turn the DVD player off and changed channels. “He’s insane.” 

“Yeah, I think that’s kinda the main point of the movie.” Jun was staring at Nino, the smaller man looking beyond adorable in his pyjamas with his messy hair. He was munching the rest of his popcorn while mumbling something about _“why was he singing?”_

“Honestly J, I thought you had better taste than stuff like that.” He cleaned up the salt on his hands, put the empty bowl of popcorn on the table, grabbed another beer and got comfortable again. “This was so weird.” 

“I do have good taste. It’s that you don’t know how to really appreciate stuff.” Nino rolled his eyes. 

“You may have good taste in food, but you’re terrible with movies. And shoes.” Nino drank more of his beer. 

Jun and Nino were seeing each other almost every weekend after their high school reunion. After they left the hotel, they went to a bar, where they drank and talked until morning. Nino was shocked when he realized that it was actually the first time he went to a bar just to have fun and not to drown in alcohol to forget his stress or try to ease his sexual desire. 

Their conversations were filled with teasing and bickering, but they actually had a strange chemistry that Nino didn’t know how to explain. They even had crazy partying nights, and strangely enough, neither of them engaged with random one-night stands on those nights. They just had fun together. 

“Nino…” Jun started, lowering his voice a bit. Nino looked at his friend, wondering why he didn’t answer his comment about his beloved pair of ugly shoes. 

And then Jun kissed him. 

It wasn’t a forceful kiss, just a touch of their lips, but it made Nino’s whole body tingle. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and put his hands in Jun’s hair, moving his lips to match the other man’s plump ones. Jun let out a satisfied sigh, and nibbled on Nino’s lips in order to open his mouth and deepen their kiss. Nino opened his mouth, letting Jun’s tongue inside. Their tongues moved together in an almost sensual way, making Nino grab a fistful of Jun’s hair. He was already breathless, but the kiss was so good that Nino thought that he didn’t want to stop. He would gladly die, suffocated by Jun’s mouth. 

To Nino’s dislike, Jun slowly took his tongue out of his mouth, parting ways with small pecks. 

“What… What was that?” Nino asked, his voice barely a whisper. He looked at Jun’s swollen mouth and messy hair, and in Nino’s opinion, the already handsome man looked absolutely stunning. 

“A… kiss?” Jun answered, hesitating. 

“Yeah…” _And a hella good one._ “But why?” 

Jun sighed. “I’ve wanted to kiss you ever since the reunion. You looked so beautiful with such a different attitude from what I’ve remembered. I knew I wanted to talk to you more, so I called you out for a drink. To be honest, I don’t even know what happened, but I just couldn't make a move on you. I didn't know if you were also interested in men, so all of sudden I lost all my confidence.” He laughed. He took Nino’s hand, but still didn’t look at his face. “I took my chances on the friendship aspect, and then, we kinda clicked in a way that has never happened to me before. And…” he finally looked deeply into Nino’s eyes. “And then I realized I was in love with you.” 

“Kazu… I’m love with you.” 

Nino was speechless. He couldn’t believe what was happening right now.

First of all, he didn’t even imagine that Jun was gay. Okay, so he never saw him make out with girls, but he did see him flirting with them before, especially while dancing. But, thinking about it, that doesn’t mean anything; being flirtatious doesn’t define a person’s sexuality. Second, he never, not even in a million years, thought that Jun would be interested in _him_. No, he is saying that he is _in love_ with Nino. It wasn’t just attraction. 

Their friendship was formed in rocket speed, and now, after Jun’s confession, Nino finally realized why he always waited anxiously for Jun’s message to confirm their weekend plans or why he got so happy when Jun called instead of texting, just to ask Nino to meet him at the train station or even why Nino was thinking about the man all day, every day: he was also in love with Jun. The connection Nino felt with Jun was more than weird chemistry between two very different guys, it was love. It was all clear now. 

Nino laughed, throwing his head back. 

“Nino? Why are you laughing?” Nino could sense a bit of despair in Jun’s voice. He looked into the younger’s eyes again and held his face with both hands. Jun widened his eyes, and all Nino could think was, _So adorable_. 

“I’m also in love with you, insect.” He smiled sweetly at Jun, who also smiled. “I can’t believe this happened, but, yeah, it’s true. I am. Would you like to be my boyfriend?” 

“There’s nothing else in the world I want right now.” He took Nino’s hand in his. “Well, except for one thing.” 

“What?” Nino asked, teasing. “Because I desperately want to kiss you right now.” 

“Oh my God, we finally agreed on something!” Jun teased back. “I also want to kiss you, like, _badly_.” Jun took Nino’s hands off of his face and got closer, holding him in his arms. It was a bit uncomfortable since they were on the couch, but they didn’t mind.  
“Oh, really?! Then what are we waiting for? We can’t let this rare moment of agreement pass, can we?” And then, Nino kissed him again. 

It was a good decision to go to the Class of ‘02’s reunion after all. 

The end.


End file.
